But Obsidian is taking another approach entirely, and for me it's really paying off. Unlike Fallout 3 or Oblivion, you can't choose to be a bad guy. Unlike Dragon Age and Mass Effect, you can't always say exactly what you want or noodle around in a dialog tree to your heart's content. But what the game does give you is fun and meaningful choices. These choices do propagate to the rest of the world and they do matter.

If you're used to playing a renegade type of character you might be in for a shock when mouthing off to powerful people and sucker-punching jerks comes back to haunt you later. If your playstyle leans towards the paladin end of the spectrum, then you might learn a little lesson in pragmatism when sparing the life of an enemy means they might come back to give you a wedgie in a subsequent mission. Some choices are clear, and others aren't, but after the first few decisions you'll come to appreciate being able to change the game in meaningful ways. Sometimes a choice can turn a boss fight into a conversation. Or save the life of an ally. None of the decisions follow the cheap formula of "do you want the money and the bad karma or do your want to make some trivial sacrifice as a down payment on your halo?"